Kate Bajic – Practice, Develop, Develop, Practice
Sat 8 July – Sun 3 September 2017
The National Centre for Craft & Design
Sleaford, Lincolnshire NG34 7TW
British jeweller Kate Bajic graduated from Loughborough University in 2003. She has over 13 years experience exhibiting and selling her work in galleries and at exhibitions throughout the UK, Europe and the USA. Kate lives and works in a rural village in the East Midlands, using the countryside around her as inspiration for her beautiful contemporary jewellery.
For her showcase at the NCCD Kate has chosen to display two separate strands of her creative practice; development work from a year long residency at the University of Lincoln’s Maker Lab, and selected finished pieces from her present jewellery practice. The intention is to show the diversity of approach, and how research and experimentation has fed into her jewellery practice.
Kate’s residency work was created as a result of collaboration with the School of Life Sciences and Maker Lab at the University of Lincoln. In particular she spent time with scientists researching the breeding habits of burying beetles. Kate used the knowledge and materials gained to begin to develop a range of work based around the beetles habit of building underground crypts for storing dead mice or small rodents as a food source for their young. Maker Lab offered her technical help and access to new materials and equipment which enabled her to translate her ideas into wearable jewellery.
“The National Centre for Craft and Design has been very supportive of my artistic practice, this will be my second solo exhibition with them. I’m delighted to be returning with a completely different body of work which will hopefully interest and inspire visitors and give a further insight into the diverse and varied aspects of a creative practice”
In contrast Kate’s present jewellery has a more traditional source, inspired by the wide variation of colour, shapes and forms found in different lichen species. Their diversity offers a rich source of design material and through photography, drawing and sample collection Kate examines their minute complexity and translates aspects of this into her work. Pieces are hand crafted using precious metals or mild steel often combined with semi precious stones. Designs evolve through experimenting with composition, playing with contrasting colours, or by adding textural details such as hand stamped surface finishes and tiny elements of gold.
